Senate Republicans narrowly confirm Todd Blanche as attorney general

Senate Confirms Todd Blanche as Attorney General Following 50-49 Vote

U.S. Senate Republicans confirmed Todd Blanche as attorney general in a 50-49 vote on Saturday. Republican Senators Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski voted against confirmation. Senator Bill Cassidy cast the deciding vote after stating on Friday that Blanche represented the strongest option available from the administration.

The outcome followed several weeks of meetings between Republican senators and the Trump administration concerning Blanche, who has served as acting attorney general since April and previously held the department’s second-ranking position. Reports describe the confirmation process as involving discussions over Blanche’s handling of Jeffrey Epstein-related document releases, his involvement in creating an $1.8 billion “anti-weaponization” fund, and a related tax-immunity agreement covering former President Trump, his sons, and their family business. These details on the fund size and agreement origins, which reports link to a $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service, remain unverified beyond the accounts provided.

Blanche reached written agreements during the final weeks to narrow the scope of the tax-immunity provisions and to end payments under the “weaponization” program. Questions have been raised in public statements about whether those commitments carry legal force and whether a similar program could be reestablished under a different name. Senators Bill Cassidy and Lisa Murkowski met with Blanche on Wednesday after indicating they had not finalized their positions. Murkowski stated she lacked confidence in Blanche’s ability to limit certain administration actions. Cassidy, representing Louisiana, expressed criticism of Blanche’s role in the IRS lawsuit settlement but concluded he would support the nominee on the basis of expected legal advice.

Blanche is scheduled to lead a Justice Department that has experienced staff reductions and shifts in prosecutorial priorities during the first 18 months of the current term. Under his acting leadership, the department has initiated cases against individuals identified by the administration as opponents, recorded departures among career prosecutors, and issued statements describing the department’s role as aligned with presidential direction. Federal judges have issued rulings criticizing some cases as insufficiently supported, and grand juries have declined to issue indictments in certain matters. Senior career officials in the civil rights division, ethics office, and other units were removed by political appointees.

Blanche has stated that department actions have contributed to lower crime rates and have addressed prior enforcement decisions from the previous administration. Supporters, including Senate Judiciary Committee Chair Chuck Grassley, have described Blanche as a career prosecutor focused on core law enforcement functions. Some Republican senators who initially raised objections have indicated that Blanche, who previously served nearly a decade as a prosecutor in New York, is the nominee most likely to maintain operational independence within the constraints of the current administration.

The confirmation vote occurred after Blanche addressed specific concerns in writing and in direct meetings. The tax-immunity agreement had previously barred IRS audits of prior returns filed by Trump, his sons, and the family business. The “anti-weaponization” fund distributed resources to individuals and entities aligned with the administration, including some participants in the January 6, 2021, Capitol events, according to the same reports. Both elements originated from the IRS litigation. Blanche’s written commitments addressed the scope of the immunity provisions and the continuation of the fund payments, though enforcement mechanisms for those commitments have not been detailed publicly.

Additional statements from senators referenced Blanche’s public remarks to anti-abortion organizations and prior actions involving former administration staff and sitting senators. Cassidy’s support was framed around expectations of candid advice rather than full agreement with past decisions. The department’s reported crime statistics and staffing changes form part of the record presented during the confirmation process.